New To Living On A Gluten Free Diet And Having Celiac Disease

[chica853]

Hello Everyone

I would like to get some advice on how to deal Celiac Disease. I was just told a week ago that I have Celiac Disease.

I am unsure of what I can and can't eat.

I am afraid of what it means to change my life at my age, my husxband is kinda freaking out a lot.

Anything that you can tell me would be very helpful...

[WheatChef]

Check the plethora of links on the main page (www.celiac.com), look at the linked articles on the publications section of the forums, look for local support groups (more springing up every day!), prepare to freak out a whole bunch.

Really the freaking out is normal, happens all the time considering the sheer amount of knowledge you have to acquire to get the diet to work right (like: "no gluten ingredients" doesn't mean anywhere near the same as "gluten-free). Just acknowledge the freak out and move on. Things get better, a hell of a lot better. Whenever you have any specific questions or need to vent, post up on these boards or search through old threads. If it weren't for reading through all these experiences of others I'd be no where near as healthy as I am today.

[sahm-i-am]

Bookmark this site - you will be coming to it alot! Better yet, make it your homepage for a while!

I was diagnosed as Celiac 5 short months ago and they just happened to find it while ruling out lymphoma. It is a blessing that they found it quickly before much damage happened, but sometimes I get mad and angry that I have this. I'm sure if I had bad gluten reactions I would feel grateful, but it is what it is. You will experience a whole range of emotions during your journey. They are all normal. But first, you must find out what you can eat.

There are so many things on that list you can eat. Some of the things people are surprised I can eat are the right chocolate, ice cream (without cookies or such) and potatoes. I know I shouldn't roll my eyes because gluten can hide in the craziest places, but potatoes w/ wheat? Come on!

For product placement I would like to recommend Udi's bread and bagels. Those two things seem to be the things people miss the most. Udi's bread comes close to the gluten version. If you can get some of that, you will be smiling. I also recommend shopping the "outside perimeter" of the supermarket. Fruits and veggies, gluten-free meats, yogurt, cheese. I do duck into the middle aisles for Rice/Corn pasta, and Pamela's All Purpose gluten-free Flour, but I stay away from everything else.

I would recommend seeing a nutritionist that knows about Celiac to help you out. If I had to do it over again I would have done that to save me time and energy. If you can't then this forum is totally the best and it's FREE!

[quincy]

Bookmark this site - you will be coming to it alot! Better yet, make it your homepage for a while!

I was diagnosed as Celiac 5 short months ago and they just happened to find it while ruling out lymphoma. It is a blessing that they found it quickly before much damage happened, but sometimes I get mad and angry that I have this. I'm sure if I had bad gluten reactions I would feel grateful, but it is what it is. You will experience a whole range of emotions during your journey. They are all normal. But first, you must find out what you can eat.

There are so many things on that list you can eat. Some of the things people are surprised I can eat are the right chocolate, ice cream (without cookies or such) and potatoes. I know I shouldn't roll my eyes because gluten can hide in the craziest places, but potatoes w/ wheat? Come on!

For product placement I would like to recommend Udi's bread and bagels. Those two things seem to be the things people miss the most. Udi's bread comes close to the gluten version. If you can get some of that, you will be smiling. I also recommend shopping the "outside perimeter" of the supermarket. Fruits and veggies, gluten-free meats, yogurt, cheese. I do duck into the middle aisles for Rice/Corn pasta, and Pamela's All Purpose gluten-free Flour, but I stay away from everything else.

I would recommend seeing a nutritionist that knows about Celiac to help you out. If I had to do it over again I would have done that to save me time and energy. If you can't then this forum is totally the best and it's FREE!

Sorry to hear of your dx, but glad you know what to do. I was dx'd 5 months ago and have seen several nutritionists. The reason I say several is because I wanted to find the best consensus and advice. SO it is imperative that you find a good nutritionist. I also would suggest you find a Doctor of Functional medicine in your area. if you google Function Medicine you will learn what it is and then find one in your area. It is well worth it. My GI doc just told me to come back in 3 months... that was it... after going to other doctors I found out vit d deficiency as well as osteopenia. and I am a 49 yo male with significant bone loss as a result of undetected celiacs....

hang in there. it will take at least 3 months to start to see some positive changes. at least thats the way it went with me...

[curiousgirl]

Sorry to hear of your dx, but glad you know what to do. I was dx'd 5 months ago and have seen several nutritionists. The reason I say several is because I wanted to find the best consensus and advice. SO it is imperative that you find a good nutritionist. I also would suggest you find a Doctor of Functional medicine in your area. if you google Function Medicine you will learn what it is and then find one in your area. It is well worth it. My GI doc just told me to come back in 3 months... that was it... after going to other doctors I found out vit d deficiency as well as osteopenia. and I am a 49 yo male with significant bone loss as a result of undetected celiacs....

hang in there. it will take at least 3 months to start to see some positive changes. at least thats the way it went with me...

Yes! Read, read, read! And then read some more! You get better information here from people who are actually dealing with celiac/gluten intolerance ... not a doc or dietition or nutritionist who mean well, but, just can't relate to all the physical, mental and emotional stuff!

[amy29]

Hello Everyone

I would like to get some advice on how to deal Celiac Disease. I was just told a week ago that I have Celiac Disease.

I am unsure of what I can and can't eat.

I am afraid of what it means to change my life at my age, my husxband is kinda freaking out a lot.

Anything that you can tell me would be very helpful...

Yes i can help you if you want it and I just find out not very long ago I have Celiac Disease and I know how freaking out it is well I have a list that you can get and can not eat.Fresh meat Fish and shellfish Poultry and game

Here is the list the food you can eat:

Vegetables Fresh herbs Fruit

Dried fruit Nuts Eggs

Cheese Cottage cheese (not cheese spreads) Milk (when newly diagnosed you may be lactose intolerant)

Dried beans, peas and pulses Vegetable oils, sunflower oil, olive oil Almonds, ground or whole

Rice, ground, long or short grain Rice cakes/crackers Rice flour (and other gluten free flours)

Yeast Cream of tartar Bicarbonate of soda

Sugar Dried peppercorns Cornflour (from the maize plant

Tamari soy sauce Marmite (only if made in the UK) Yoghurts (without crunchy bits)

Cider vinegar Wine vinegar Distilled vinegar

Sago Tapioca Millet

Quinoa Flax seed Corn Tortillas

Corn tacos Popcorn (check any coating) Homemade soups (not roux based)

Jelly (jello) Jam Marmalade

Honey Golden syrup Black treacle or molasses

Tea (check herb teas first) Fruit juice Fruit squash (not barley water

Xanthan gum (replaces "elastic" quality of gluten)

Gluten Free Vegetables and Fruit

As an accompaniment to main meals, or the meal itself if you are a gluten free vegan or vegetarian, it is nice to eat fresh vegetables and fruit that are in season.

All vegetables and fruit are gluten free, unless you add something to them, such as a sauce or coating.

The following table highlights which produce is available at different times of the year.

Beetroot Purple Sprouting Broccoli Asparagus Wild mushrooms

Cabbage Carrots Courgettes (Zucchini) Sweetcorn

Leeks Spring onions (Scallions) Mange Tout Beetroot

Onions New potatoes Globe Artichokes Sweetcorn

Brussels Sprouts Spring greens Garden Peas Cauliflowers

Shallots Lettuces Green beans Carrots

Parsnips Asparagus Cucumber Marrows

Swede Broad beans Lettuces Broccoli

Spinach Spinach Radishes Butternut squash

Curly Kale Rhubarb Watercress Turnips

Artichokes Peppers Cabbages

Pumpkin Tomatoes Parsnips

Apples Sweetcorn Celery

Pears Summer berries Leeks

Nuts Cherries Apples

Bananas (year round) Currants Pears

Oranges (year round) Plums Almonds

Melons Chestnuts

Apricots Elderberries

Grapes

Figs

Grains and baked foods containing gluten

foods containing gluten food labels gluten free diet free diet supplements

Bread and bread rolls Rye bread, pumpernickel Yorkshire pudding

Pretzels Cakes Stuffings (click here for gluten free stuffing recipes

Muffins Pastry or pie crust Pancakes (click here for gluten free almond flour pancakes

Biscuits or cookies Pasta - macaroni, spaghetti, etc. (Click for dishes made with gluten free pasta) Crispbreads

Bulgar wheat Durham Crumble toppings (click for a safe, tasty apple crumble topping)

Couscous Pizza (click here for a safe pizza dough recipe) Semolina

Scones Anything in breadcrumbs Some breakfast cereals(click here for a list of gluten free breakfast cereals)

All Bran Sponge puddings Breadcrumbed ham

Barley water drinks Malted drinks, such as Horlicks Muesli

Here is the food you should not have:

Foods containing hidden gluten

Other foods containing gluten could trick the unsuspecting newly diagnosed Coeliac sufferer into thinking they are safe. The list below shows things that should be checked.

Sausages - often contain rusk (and the machines used to make them are often cleaned out with bread) Luncheon meat - may contain fillers Blue cheeses (may be made with bread)

Gravy powders and stock cubes such as OXO cubes Matzo flour/meal Shredded suet in packs (flour is normally used to keep the strands separate)

Seitan (doesn't contain gluten, it IS gluten!) Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) Baked beans (there may be gluten in the tomato sauce)

Farina Meat and fish pastes Pates and imitation crab meat

Self basting turkeys Sauces - often thickened with flour Communion wafers

Soups - may be roux based (made with flour) Mustard - dry mustard powder contains gluten Instant coffee - may be bulked out with flour

Brown rice syrup Cheap brands of chocolate Potato crips/chips - some are OK, read the ingredients!

Soy sauce - only Tamari is OK Drinking chocolate Licorice

Chutneys and pickles Salad dressings Curry powder and other spices (can be bulked out with flour)

White pepper Malt vinegar Play Dough click here for a cornflour recipe

Supplements Some toothpastes Some lipsticks

Some pharmaceutical products

There is more if you want to know more information about you can look it up google Gluten-Free there is a lot of information about it and I hope this help